Dancing
by WinterLoveSong
Summary: A simple story of love, life, and learning. Takes place in the early years of Wyvern's Court, so before Falcondance but after Snakecharm. All OCs. Read and review. Based on a true story.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One.**

Avians don't mix with serpientes.

History has proved it, hasn't it? The war was proof enough. The blood spilled. Even now, when it is supposed to be a time of peace, avians still look upon serpientes with a fearful eye, ready to fly away at the first opportunity. There is a reason we are different, why we are separated.

Wyvern's Court defies all the laws of nature. How is it possible to live together? Love might do the trick - my Tuuli Thea and their Diente live together, and they had a child, Oliza Shardae Cobriana. A wyvern. Wyvern's Court.

But can love truly bring nature together?

No, I didn't think so, either.

My father, Reed, doesn't trust the serpiente. He sees a few of them in our market from time to time, among the average avian, and has to turn his head with disgust. He makes musical instruments, and the occasional serpent enjoys looking at our goods. My mother, Desi, treats them with courtesy, at least. She is different for an avian, always filled with new ideas that she passed onto Elisa Beth, my adult sister.

I watch them every day, my brother Sal and I, when walking home from school. I see their sinuous movements, wondering how a people also derived from humans could be so different from us. We all have emotions - perhaps we are the same in a way.

But there has been a reason that we have been kept apart.

-

It was late spring and early summer all at once. I was humming the popular lullaby Hawksong, making my way through the avian half of the market. I had no work to do today, and thought I might engage myself in the culture of my people.

A hand brushed mine, and I looked over my shoulder, extremely surprised. Avians do not make contact - they stay behind their reserve. I sighed when I saw Revel, one of my best friends, and frowned. She was always breaking through the reserve, always expressing her emotions in such a free way it was frowned upon by most avians. But she was always so much herself…how could I not like a girl like her? I wondered if perhaps she would've been better off born a serpiente without a reserve in her culture, but I banished the thought from my head.

Revel grinned at me - literally grinned. "Hey Ama," she chirped, using my nickname. "What're you up to today?"

I shrugged. "Not much."

She rolled her eyes and leaned closer, bending down. Revel was taller than me, which was saying something, being I was fairly tall. I felt her soft black hair brush my cheek as she whispered in my ear words that caused me to widen my eyes with amazement.

"_Emilihai visited the Wyvern's Nest the other day."_

Wyvern's Nest was a dancer guild. Dancers was only very popular among the serpents, not the avians. To here my very reserved avian friend Emilihai had visited the Nest, well, it made me wonder. She loved the serpiente dances, however, so maybe it was not as much of a surprise as I had believed.

"That's crazy," I murmured.

Revel nodded, her inky curls bouncing. "It is!" Her eyes brightened. "But…dancing…doesn't it look wonderful?"

I'll admit, I had to agree. Revel, Emilihai, and I had often watched serpiente dances in secret, awed by what they could do. We all had toyed with the idea of actually training to be a dancer - it looked wonderful.

But I didn't know Emilihai had the courage to actually do it. She was among the most reserved avians I knew.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Revel, enough of the crazy talk. We'll never be dancers. My family would never let me."

Then I frowned. Elisa Beth had always told me to express myself, to castaway the reserve. Desi had done that, Ellie had done that, and now Ellie wanted me to. Dancing was a way to express yourself, wasn't it? Perhaps I could try.

Revel tugged on my arm, another gesture most avians were unused to. "Please, Amali? Can we at least visit the Wyvern's Nest?"

I bit my lip as she used my full name. I really didn't have anything to do today, and visiting Wyvern's Nest might prove to be fun… _Sneaking in Wyvern's Nest, you mean, _I corrected myself. Not proper for an avian lady…

But these were new times.

"I…well…all right."

The raven's eyes brightened, and she grinned happily. "Thanks!" she laughed, and ruffled my hair. "Come on, little sparrow, you'll have fun. I won't let a nasty snake eat you for supper."

"Very funny, Rev," I grumbled, pushing her hand away.

Just then, I caught a pair of familiar figures out of the corner of my eye. Two crows, one of them my friend, one of them…not so much. Kallithea and Cailys. Kal could be nice at times, but both of them were a bit too bubbly for me. Revel let out an audible groan when she caught sight of them. I knew for a fact she didn't like them, but to let herself reveal such a thing in public…

Only Revel would do such a thing.

I put on my polite avian reserve and nodded to the two of them as they drew closer. Kal smiled and nodded at me, as did Cailys. Revel frowned and crossed her arms.

"Hello Amali, Revel," Kal said pleasantly. "We" - she gestured to herself and Cailys - "heard you two use the term Wyvern's Nest a few times." She smiled angelically, her light brown eyes glittering, her light brown hair masking the smoky gray color of the crow feathers on the back of her neck. "Can we tag along?"

"I thought you didn't want to be dancers," Revel retorted, arching an eyebrow.

"No, Cail and I just want to see it," Kal supplied brightly, and Cailys nodded in affirmation.

"This is more of a two-bird journey," Revel insisted. "Run along, I'm sure Penelope's lonely somewhere." Penelope was the name of a crow none of us particularly liked, though Emilihai tolerated her.

Cailys giggled, nudging Kallithea in the side. "But we want to see some pretty serpiente boys!"

At that, I had to roll my eyes. An extreme drop of reserve there, if you please. Not to mention absolutely scandalous; how could she say such a thing in public?

But then, that was Cailys for you.

Revel snorted and let out an almost caw-like laugh, so much like her raven's call. "Whore," she stated derisively.

Everyone stared at her.

"…what?"

"Absolutely nothing, Rev," I assured her. "Just you being yourself again."

-

We caught Emilihai in the middle of the market, the avian reserve unable to entirely mask the excitement sparkling in her eyes. "You're coming?" she gushed in a whisper when we had reached an audible range.

I nodded, then winced as her gaze flicked to Cailys and Kal. She greeted them politely, however, nothing able to mar her feverish excitement. But then, Em was always polite to everyone, no matter the circumstance. She was just a sweet girl like that.

It was a time when most folks avoided the center of the market, so we avoided stares by quickly trooping through, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Our families were among the first few to move to Wyvern's Court, watching as more had steadily moved in. I had been born in Hawk's Keep, but lived here most of my life.

We didn't make a direct beeline for the Nest, realizing it would be too conspicuous, but we crept in one at a time. When someone would leave, one of us would slip in and meander in the shadows, waiting for the other birds to join us. Normally, Em did it alone, and Rev and I had tagged along perhaps once. But now, with Kal and Cail insisting on joining us, we had to work fairly hard not to be conspicuous.

It was still the early years of Wyvern's Court, so in fact Wyvern's Nest was fairly new. There weren't a whole lot of dancers hanging around, but they were all serpiente, which made me feel more than a little ill at ease. The war was past, but Elisa Beth still remembered it from when she was a little girl, and her stories she had woven had been casting the serpientes in a frightening light.

But all the same, I would never forget her words at the ends of these stories:

"_We must learn to forgive and forget, Little Beau," _she had said to me, using my nickname from my childhood days, a term that meant beautiful. _"Otherwise, there is no humanity separating us from truly becoming birds and snakes."_

Perhaps Ellie was right.

I was shaken from my reverie by the slow, sensual beat of a drum, and my eyes snapped to the present. My eyes widened, and I watched with baited breath as a dancer and her instructor prepared to dance.

The dance took my breath away, and I would occasionally listen to the sensual lilting of the flute that accompanied the piece, but I could not draw my eyes away from the dance in front of me. It seemed fairly simple to the instructor, yet I caught myself eyeing the pupil with something akin to jealousy - she looked so beautiful, so much herself up there, with her short black hair streaked with blonde and stunningly sapphire-jeweled eyes.

The girl stumbled, yet she laughed, and a couple of her friends came up onto the raised platform with her, the instructor stepping aside, shaking her head at the theatrics. I was trapped in the beauty of it, the black-haired girl performing with her friends.

Revel, next to me, let out a tiny, "Wow."

That was when everything went wrong.

The blazing, jeweled eyes of the dancers snapped over to us. Revel instantly looked contrite, but I was past that, the feathers on the back of my neck rising. Everything inside me screamed, _predator!_

After all, I was merely a sparrow - no match for snakes.

They moved over with sinuous speed, but by that time Cailys and Kal had already shifted to crow form and bolted out the door. Em swallowed, but I saw from her stance she was prepared to deal with justice. Revel, on the other hand, seemed more prepared to fight her way out (and I knew Rev could deal out a good brawl when she wanted to). I…I only wished to stay for my friends, to make sure they'd be all right, though I'd rather be out the door and blocks away by now.

But I forced myself to remain utterly still, and swallowed back the acid fear building up in my throat as the serpents drew closer.

* * *

**AN: **I hope you enjoyed reading chapter one. ^^ This story is based off some things that really did happen in the lives of my friends and I, but some things were tailored to fit the story. I'm going without an editor for now, just merely writing down how I feel about it and not really working on making it a beautiful and marvelous work of art.

Because, after all, we all know life isn't just a beautiful and marvelous little story. It's a whole lot more than that.

--Amy (WinterLoveSong)


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two.**

"Why're you here?"

The question was laced with suspicion, but to my utter surprise, it seemed more out of curiosity than hostility for the reason behind the question. I blinked at the girl, the girl who I had just seen dancing, who asked me the question.

The other two, however, quickly made me bite back down on my spurt of confidence and wallow in fear - _they _were gazing at us with jeweled eyes ablaze.

It was Emilihai, the political leader of the three of us, who took it upon herself to answer the question. She met the dancer's eyes politely, and I caught a spark of fear inside of them, but mostly the reserve held strong over her expressions. She took a deep breath and held strong in her answer, which I slowly became horrified with, as it was the absolute truth.

"We came here because we're interested in dancing."

"EM!" Revel exclaimed, her voice bouncing angrily back at us in the dead quiet that had suddenly dropped. We all flinched, staring at Revel in something akin to shock. Avians never let on that they were angry, especially not in such an explosive bout of temper. Revel had always been different than us, sure, but in times of trouble I normally counted on her to hold her reserve. "That's suicide to say such a thing to them!"

"But it's the truth," Emilihai pointed out.

The dancer that we had been so avidly watching frowned, looking between the three of us, finally focusing on me. "You haven't said anything," she pointed out. "Care to explain?"

I swallowed. "I…Emilihai's correct." I gestured to her, avoiding Rev's burning gaze. My voice faltered slightly. "We _are _interested in dancing."

"Are you now?" the dancer mused. I was surprised at how reasonable she sounded, and not the least unfriendly. The feathers on the back of my neck flattened some. I could stand to be unafraid at this moment, so long as I didn't look at her companions.

"Well, I'm Tabitha." She held her hand out to me, rather than Em or Rev. "Call me Taby, if you will." She offered us a smile in turn.

Carefully, I grasped her cool hand, marveling at how different it was from my own body heat. "Amali," I responded. "Ama, I suppose. And this is Emilihai and Revel."

Emilihai managed a shaky smile and Rev looked a bit less stony than before.

One of the other dancers interrupted our casual greeting in an acidic voice. She was blonde, her hair short yet curly, with pale sapphire eyes. "Taby, they're _birds._" Her upper lip curled in disgust.

"And we're snakes," Tabitha pointed out mildly. "Yet at the same time we're also all human. Surely that counts for something, Lyn."

Lyn let out a slow, unhappy breath, glaring at us once before turning on her heel and stalking away.

The other dancer that had been with them - a girl with slightly darker skin than Taby's fair skin, wild brown hair and probing brown eyes that seemed more avian than serpiente - shot Tabitha an annoyed look. "You're not seriously thinking of including them, are you?"

"I'll take 'em to Winnie, see how she handles them," Tabitha replied cheerfully. "Maybe they can join Destiny's Crowd after proper training."

_Destiny's Crowd?_

"Roxanne won't accept them."

"Nao, Roxanne hardly runs Destiny's Crowd anymore, it's always you, me, Lyn, Kaza, Riley, Vizi, and Dana running the place."

The brown-haired dancer, Nao, let out an irritated breath similar to Lyn's earlier one. "Tabitha…"

"Nanoa, please, let me handle this."

Nao stalked off, throwing us - especially me - a dirty look from over her shoulder.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Those girls," she snorted. "They're my friends and all, but sometimes they gotta be nicer to the newbies. I know Riley would probably agree with me…" She turned her blue gaze back to us, friendly, head tilted to one side. "You birdlets wanna learn to dance? Here, I'll take you to the master of the dance, besides A'isha."

Still holding onto my hand, she tugged me forward, and I had no choice but to follow, hearing the hesitant and light steps of Revel and Emilihai behind me.

Tabitha came to a stop at the other side of the room, and tapped on a serpiente's shoulder. "Miss Winifred?"

The serpiente looked up, and I felt fear start to bubble in my stomach again.

She was short, but easily the most muscular person I'd ever seen. Her skin had a light tan as well. Her hair were many different colors, changing from silky black to coffee brown to dirty blonde in different strands. Her eyes…they were a piercing red, the sort of eyes that can see right through you. She seemed very young, but at the same time, old enough to know of the world and its cruelties. Perhaps late-twenties to early-thirties. I'd never know.

Winifred eyed us, then nodded to Tabitha. "Yes, Taby?"

"I think we've got some new members that would like to learn from you…"

-

"My hips," Revel groaned.

It was hours later - sunset - and we were all sitting outside my house, rubbing different parts of our bodies that were aching. Revel's hips had always bothered her, and we had found out the reason why today, courtesy of Winifred - Winnie, as we called her. She always sat back so all her weight rested on her hips. Winnie had corrected her posture before moving on to teach us dance.

Emilihai was rubbing her muscles, too, especially the ones on her ankles. I sucked in a breath and wished I could rub my back, but that was impossible. I'd have to take a long, hot bath at some point in the night.

Winnie had proved to be a very serious and capable instructor. She told us she wasn't going to suffer for wishy-washy, half-assed dancing. No, she was only going to tutor those who wanted to be there, who wanted to take from her. If we didn't want to learn to dance, we had to get our feathery butts out of the Wyvern's Nest at that second and never look back again.

But if we did want to learn to dance, we had to take from Winifred.

She showed us the simplest dance - the morning rituals dancers performed in the morning, and started to teach us the technique of it. Going through all the proper technique of dancing would have taken forever, so she only covered the basics. Still, though, it was enough to make our muscles smart.

Dancing was hard work.

About halfway through the session, Kallithea and Cailys had joined us. However, Kallithea and Cailys had arrived too late to take from Winnie, so they were sent to another dance instructor, one that I did not know of. We had not heard from them since then, and frankly, Revel and Emilihai were relieved not to talk to them.

I, on the other hand, sort of missed Kal, despite the fact none of my other friends did. I liked her, even if no one else did.

"Quite the day," Revel finally managed out, staring off into the distance. Emilihai nodded in agreement. Indeed, it had been quite a day. On top of dance technique, we'd learned what Destiny's Crowd was - a small group of dancers started by Roxanne, almost an elite group. We didn't get the chance to meet them all that day, and frankly, I felt relieved. The serpientes had given us all very odd stares, some hostile, like Lyn and Nao, others merely curious, like Tabitha, and yet others critical, like Winnie. Thinking about the whole day got the adrenaline in my veins pumping again.

"Agreed," I murmured after a few long moments of silence, staring off into the sunset.

-

I did not know dancing was going to change my life.

A few weeks passed, I gradually grew into the habit of entering Wyvern's Nest about midday, and my new hobby remained hidden from my parents Reed and Desi, along with my little brother Sal. Elisa Beth was off somewhere, probably exploring the world, most likely sewing beautiful clothing like she normally did (she was training to be a seamstress). I hadn't heard from her in months, and it wasn't likely I would for months more. I suspected Revel's parents knew about it, but I also suspected they rather didn't care. Emilihai's single mother remained uninformed as well. Kallithea had also taken to the dance, but seemed less into it than I did, perhaps merely trying to get into Destiny's Crowd, along with Cailys.

I had met a few members of Destiny's Crowd, and indeed come to be great friends with them. Riley was one of them - a boy with a humorous attitude, and Revel always seemed to watch him the most during class. Lyn was taking a while to warm up to us, but Nao a little quicker (perhaps Tabitha had influenced her). Taby remained my best serpiente friend.

How unusual - an avian friends with a serpiente.

Cailys was unable to keep her mouth shut about our new hobby, and had in fact told her friend Jocelyn about it, something I had been completely nonchalant about. Another new few people were about to enter my life, too - as I would get accepted into Destiny's Crowd, a few of Tabitha's friends would, too, but most importantly, her cousin was coming soon for a long visit of a few months, her cousin Dai. He, too, would join Destiny's Crowd, and of course, Tabitha would introduce him to me and Revel and Emilihai and Kallithea and Cailys.

The ease of the summer months, I should have known, would be too good to last.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three.**

The dream came.

I had a recurring dream, one that had started a few months ago, back when the days were shorter and the nights colder. I hardly had it unless something heart-wrenching was about to happen (as it proved those months ago, but that is another story). And it was always the same, always in color, and always tragically beautiful.

I was standing in the center of Wyvern's Court, the market. Everyone that I knew - Elisa Beth and Sal, Revel and Emilihai, Kallithea and my raven friend Rorik, well, they were all there, too, along with numerous other avians and even serpientes. People of all different kinds, and for one night, differences didn't matter. Someone would play a sweet tune of a flute, something different than the sensual sound of a serpiente's music. Everyone - except me - were wearing richly embroidered fabrics and clothes, beautiful garments hardly found nowadays, jewels that glowed in the moonlight. I was merely in sheepskin slacks and a light tunic, nothing more, nothing less. A thousand bodies moved around me, yet somehow I remained in a little lone bubble in the center of the Court.

And then, they'd start to dance.

Everyone had a partner. It was a strange sort of dance - the male would put one hand on the waist of the female, and the female would grasp the male partner's shoulder, and the two would link hands and start to dance in steps of rhythms of 1-2-3-1-2-3. I remember watching all the flowing, glowing bodies around me, and started to dance on my own. I had an invisible - or imaginary - partner, and I remember feeling both blissfully happy and bitterly sad, exhilarated and sleep-deprived all at once. At some point I would tilt my head up towards the light of the moon…

…and the dream would end, everything going dark, just like that, like the only candle lighting your way suddenly getting snuffed out. I'd often wake up with my cheeks wet and my pillow damp, my eyelashes clinging to each other wetly. I'd sit up, rub my eyes, and dismiss it as a dream. Even though my parents had decided not to stick to avian tradition and give me an alistair, I would not end up alone in life. The dream meant nothing. It has always meant nothing, and will always mean nothing. It was simply a strange recurring dream, that was all.

I went back to sleep with thoughts twisting and writhing in my head.

-

"AMAAAA!"

I snapped my head over my shoulder, my thick hair swinging messily into my face. I brushed it impatiently out of my eyes and arched a brow at the person who called my name. I had been stretching out, warming up in Wyvern's Nest, getting ready for a day's session of dance. Winifred had recently taken a break, so Revel, Emilihai, and I had been stretching out by ourselves for the past week or so. (She wasn't due to come off break until August.) In fact, I had to leave fairly soon anyway - I was going to visit the market in Hawk's Keep for the first time since I was little, though I used to visit it every summer for the first few years of my life. It was only for the span of a week, but I knew I would miss all my friends very much.

As a note, I had made it into Destiny's Crowd, along with Kallithea and Cailys. But Emilihai and Revel…they hadn't made it. Em actually had no inclination to join it, and Rev was only vaguely interested.

I was shaken from my thoughts by those bright sapphire eyes blinking into view below me, along with a head of golden-streaked short black hair. "Tabitha!" I exclaimed, and put my hands on my hips, arching a brow. "What is it? Did you _really _have to shout all the way across the room for me?"

"Yes." Tabitha snickered, shaking her head. "Jeez, Ama, do you have to always be so uptight? You're like…I dunno…quiet all the time!"

Shaking my head, I waited for her to get to her point.

"Dai says hello!" she chirped.

"…who?" _Do I even want to know?_

As if she could read my thoughts, Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Dai's my cousin," she explained.

"Oh…" I blinked, not sure what to make of that. "Er…tell him Amali says hi? Or you can use my nickname in place of that, in case he already knows me." I wracked my brains, trying to remember if I had met a 'Dai' anywhere. The name didn't sound very familiar…

"Even though he's in Destiny's Crowd," Tabitha replied lightly, "he doesn't know anyone yet. He hasn't even meet Nao yet…nor will he," she added to herself, somewhat under her breath, though my excellent bird ears picked it up.

"I…see…" Actually, I didn't see, but oh well. I wondered even more if I had met him before - Destiny's Crowd was a bit exclusive in their members. Perhaps I'd seen him dancing before, but I didn't know it…?

"Here, I'll introduce you." And Tabitha stepped aside.

…well, he was good-looking, I'll give him that.

He was tall and pale, with dark brown, nearly black hair that fell over his jeweled blue eyes, bright like Tabitha's. I could see the resemblance. I had to crane my neck to look up at him - he was perhaps of eighteen or seventeen years, and tall for that, compared to my measly fourteen years - immediately not acknowledging his looks. I'd met many a handsome man with personalities like cows. Not an ideal match for me. I didn't care for looks, I looked for personality.

He opened his mouth to speak, and his voice sounded like Tabitha's, too, except perhaps a masculine version. They were definitely related. "Amali, I take it? Oh, and apologies, this is Dai, as I'm sure my cousin has informed you well enough."

I must say, I was taken aback by his properness and cadence. He had grown up in a place of high society, it seemed. I immediately felt intimidated and reverted behind my reserve, cool and collected. I nodded once in confirmation of his words. "Yes, she has. Nice to meet you."

"As it is to meet you," Dai replied cordially. I allowed myself a little half-smile, and Tabitha slipped away to join a nearby crowd of dancers. It was getting later in the day, and the Wyvern's Nest was filling up with mostly serpiente, though I did catch sight of an avian or two here and there. Were they becoming less afraid…?

"So, how are things fairing for you this eve?" Dai continued, shaking me out of my reverie, but not out of my calm reserve.

"Eh…fine, I suppose." _"Eh"? That wasn't even a word! _I tried to make my voice light and remain myself, even if I was behind the reserve. "You sound so formal" - which, now that I think on it, was very, very strange for a serpent - "and I admire it."

Dai shrugged off the compliment indifferently, at which I arched a thin brow but did not question. "It's a talent that needs practice, much like an instrument or physical ability. Some have the discipline and others do not, or merely think they don't."

"I don't," I replied automatically, somehow getting flustered from talking with this strangely-speaking serpiente. "Well…I mean…that is to say, sometimes I do, but mostly I don't." _Gibberish, bird, you're speaking gibberish. Remember the reserve, speak politely. _"Well, speaking of instruments…I do play the flute a little bit, as well as the voice, which I suppose can be considered an instrument, heh."

I was failing at this. I couldn't seem to speak properly to him. But Dai eyed me with interest, folding his arms. "You seem to be quite talented. That's interesting. Be proud of that."

_Uh…talented? You haven't even heard me play either of those things yet! _But I shrugged it off with a small smile and a simple "thanks." "I also dance a bit, too…" Then I winced. Of course I danced, I was inside a dancer's nest! "I'm…artsy in a musical way, I suppose."

Artsy. What horrible powers had spurned me to say that?

To my utter surprise, Dai smiled a little bit back at me - he had an enchanting smile. "Grand!"

I was completely bewildered and blinked slightly, thrown off. "Heh," was all I managed to muster up.

"Our family," he said, still sounding as cordial as ever, "and on Tabitha's mother's side, in particular, tend to be more advanced in the visual department of that branch." Did he just unknowingly rhyme? "Though the littlest one seems to not see eye to eye on that." He glanced over at Tabitha, who was merely a little ways away, but not paying attention to our conversation, enjoying herself with some of her other friends from the dancer's nest.

I nodded, not quite sure what to say.

"However, I shan't boast," he breezed on, and I wondered if I had ever heard someone utter the word "shan't" before. I daresay I haven't. "It's rude and nothing you would wish to hear about at this time of day."

Well, it was getting late, and I ought to head home soon, so that was a perfectly good chance I should have taken there, yet…I couldn't help staying. My interest was hooked. I was intrigued by this serpiente boy…man, rather. So, instead of stopping the conversation as I was supposed to, I moved it forward. "Ah, I'll hear about anything at this time of day."

Dai frowned. "I suppose you're correct on that subject," he allowed me, and I felt a surge of triumph at my quick thinking. "Well. Our family tends to sell arts to local merchants and buyers. Everyone has sold one, almost."

An artist. I was talking to an artist. Oh, I loved art, adored it so. But most fellows I talked to were dull…Dai was not proving to be so. There weren't enough artists in the world, serpiente, avian, or anything else. "Oh? That's wonderful!"

"We all specify in different categories, my brothers in different forms of painting, father sculpting, mother in pottery. The list goes on." He sighed. "Tabitha is the only one who can't find her inner muse. She sticks to arithmetic as it would seem."

It was no secret that Tabitha excelled in mathematics. Perhaps she'd find her calling in architecture? I doubted it, though. However, I stuck up for her in this case. "Well, that's fine for her. Arithmetic is just as useful as art, in my opinion." I was about to stop there, but suddenly I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about me. I meant what I said, of course, but I didn't want it to sound as though I were better at arithmetic. Art was more suited for me. So I added, "Though, I'd rather take art over arithmetic…"

"Opinions," he said, so brusquely that my face nearly fell, until I let my reserve take over myself. I got the feeling I was talking to someone very opinionated, and strong about what he felt. As if he sensed how I felt, he changed the subject, though why he would spare my feelings was beyond me. "Sadly, my muse seems to be kept prisoner under my new apprenticeship… Working with a tailor is something that restricts it."

"Ah, I see."

"Might you be apprenticed?"

"I am but fourteen…my parents have not let me become apprenticed yet, though I do take care of fellow avian children occasionally for a coin or two."

"Oh, my apologies." He seemed a bit stunned at my age, which caused me to wonder exactly how old he was. But it was slowly becoming clear that he may have a better reserve than even I, which greatly threw me off. A serpiente with a reserve? Unheard of. What would he need to hide from the world? "And watching youngsters… Something I never personally had to do. My older brothers were always there. Sadly, now they've moved."

"Ah," I found myself saying, "I heartily dislike it." _I do? _I asked in my haze of a brain. _But the children are always so sweet to me!_

"Just think of the end result," he said, in somewhat of an encouraging manner. "Bring some paints or some form of enjoyment to keep yourself zoned out of the children."

"But if the children are pining for attention, that would be difficult, don't you concur?" I'd never heard myself phrase things in such a professional and…older manner before. Not even behind my reserve. Was I still just that much intimidated that I needed to phrase things differently?

Dai looked at me for a moment, and his gaze was unreadable. After a moment or so of silence, he said, "Perhaps."

"Exactly," I said, according my mind, stupidly, for lack of anything else to say.

He seemed to be struggling internally with something akin to surprise. I watched him, hiding behind my reserve, ready to flutter away if he were to insult me.

"You are quite clever."

…clever?

"I'd drink to that, had I some wine on me."

I was flattered. Immensely so. This intimidating, well-spoken, artistic boy, no, _man, _not to mention a serpiente, was calling _me, _the awkward little avian girl, clever? It appeared that reserve was working - it was hiding me very well. "Thank you." I started to babble, still stunned. "Normally people view me as intelligent but not…street-smart, if you know what I mean. It's difficult, being ridiculed by peers."

He actually bowed. "A pleasure. And your peers know nothing, they've yet to be released into life, have yet to truly develop. Don't take their word on things."

"My old nickname for my chicklets was something akin to 'Neanderthals'."

"Chicklets…I take it you live on the avian side of town."

I blinked. For a moment, I had forgotten that he wasn't avian, but a serpiente. I nodded a little bit, shaken slightly. "Next to the flute market, to be precise."

He chuckled a little bit at that. "I know nothing of the avians' market."

"Heh…" I couldn't believe it. I knew something he didn't know? "Well…let's just say it's very close to the very center of the market, where avians and serpientes can mingle."

"Ah, that was much help, thank you."

"You are very welcome, Dai."

"Odd to hear a name stated by someone you've just met, and that someone is an avian," he remarked casually.

"Very true. Would you prefer I call you something else…?" I was on the verge of losing myself in my reserve, as the emotions bubbling behind my mask were not even revealed through my cool brown eyes.

"Oh, I have no problems with it. Though, I'd prefer you'd stick to my alias as 'Dalian' around Destiny's Crowd."

Alias? So Dai was his real name, and Dalian wasn't? I wondered why he felt the need to hide. Well, no matter, it was my turn to speak again. "I'll keep that in mind."

"If you could fill that request for me, I'd greatly appreciate it."

I nodded. "Of course."

There were a few moments of silence as the two of us went over our thoughts. I waited for him to break it, but it was obvious he wasn't going to. I cleared my throat. "Are you wondering whether to call me Ama or Amali right now?"

"I've not known your name," he murmured, and I realized that he meant he thought 'Ama' my real name. Well, that suited me fine. "Though, now I have the pleasure to. I'll address you as whatever your heart desires."

"You may call me Ama outside of Destiny's Crowd," I instructed, not unlike his earlier instructions, "but please address me as Amali when surrounded by them unless I've otherwise specified, all right?"

"Understood."

Silence fell again when I realized I didn't know what to say. I backtracked, thinking of earlier topics we'd conversed about. Painting seemed like a good place to go from… "You know, I think painting is such a lovely hobby. I am a woefully inadequate painter." I let myself grimace, which was all too real - I'd just never had a feel for that sort of art.

"Painting is something you feel," Dai replied simply. He seemed a bit distracted. "I feel like I've already been a 'nature artist' enough just by stating that, so I shall stop there before I ruin my image."

"No, no, it's fine," I assured him, merely because I did not want the conversation to end. "I could say the same thing about dancing…" A topic we both knew, most likely. "It's really just a way to portray your emotions. Dancing is painting with your body, I suppose…so perhaps I am a painter too, just of a different style."

"A different brush, different materials, same result; a magnificent work."

I recalled Emilihai saying much the same thing many times before, but Rev had never actually thought of dancing like that. I did, however. "You're the only person - besides one of my friends - that's agreed with me on that aspect."

"It's true."

"Extremely so."

Once more, quiet surrounded us, like a thick blanket, each trapping us with our own thoughts. I, for one, did not want to investigate what was on my mind, which was spinning out of control. I awaited his voice, but he did not speak - he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. It was up to me to bring up a conversation again.

So, I simply blurted out what was on my mind. "I'm sorry for not talking, I just don't know what to talk about."

"Bring up anything. The conversation is a blank canvas, paint your masterpiece."

"Well…how long have you been a dancer?"

"…that's a good question." He was silent for a moment, thinking. "A few years now. I'd give it a good five years or so."

Five years… "Oh, that's a good long time. You must be quite experienced, then." I thought quietly in my head before sheepishly admitting, "Yesterday was my two year anniversary of the dance."

Yes, actually, I'd been dancing that long. Just not in the Wyvern's Nest. I would dance on my own, or with Em or Rev, or sometimes with Kal.

"Quite the memory," Dai complimented again.

I fought back a light flush with a simple, "I like to keep track of the good things."

"Short memory is something that runs in our family. As I'm positive my cousin's demonstrated."

"Oh, she has," I confirmed (which was very true). "Countless times." I chuckled slightly. "Just don't tell her I said that."

"Oh, she won't care," he replied, and there was something dark about his tone…dark, or sad. "She talks far worse of herself, and her parents are even more terrible."

I'd heard about that, and had actually been witness to her own self-tauntings. It was no good for her… "I know…I really try and cheer her up, but she's indifferent to my attempts… I just want her to be happy." Softly, I admitted, "She's my friend." And that Tabitha was - a serpiente, but still my friend.

"She's…" Dai searched for a word. "…different."

"You're saying…she's not like everyone else, correct?"

"Correct."

"I'd figured that already."

"Clever, once again."

"Not particularly," I said honestly. "Just a tad observant."

"A keen eye, don't misuse that."

"I do my best…it occasionally gets myself into spots of trouble, though. Mostly I keep my observations to myself, but…sometimes I let others know." I felt myself getting slightly awkward (as if I wasn't enough already).

"Information is a valuable tool."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?"

"Without it, I fear where we would stand today."

"I still fear where we stand today…" I said quietly, and it was true. There was much hate still thriving amongst the avian and serpiente, despite how much we've worked for peace.

"Spare your words if you wish to preach me, I understand how the world works."

I was a little stunned - the words were a bit harsh. Dai had strange mood swings. "Oh, I won't preach," I murmured, which was true - preaching was not my intention. "I've got plenty on my mind to think about anyways, too many words for preaching," I said honestly.

"Nothing wrong with having knowledge on your mind."

"I suppose."

Ah, the silence again. Awkward as ever, it made my thoughts clearer in my own head. However, I was going to be stubborn - this time, I wasn't going to break the silence. I'd let him. That way, if he didn't want to continue talking to me, he'd have a choice not to.

Eventually, however, when I had thought he wouldn't, he spoke up. "Hmm…fourteen," he mused aloud. "Does that mean you have an alistair?"

"No…I will be allowed to choose." I drew myself up at that proudly.

He arched an eyebrow. "Congratulations," he offered.

"Oh, that's nothing special…"

"I wouldn't have a clue."

"Ah." I wondered what he meant by that. Most likely that he'd never grown up with the tradition of naming an alistair in the first place. I was about to fall silent again, but I suddenly gave a wide yawn, and fluttered my hand over my mouth to cover it up, my eyes widening. I suddenly realized how late it was…my mother might worry. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I ought to head home now."

"Very well," Dai said politely.

"It was a pleasure talking to you," I said quietly, giving a small smile. And, as interesting and confusing as it had been, the words were true - it _had_ been a pleasure.

"As was to you, princess."

"…Princess?"

He laughed slightly, shaking his head. "Oh, sorry. Old habits with Tabitha. I'll try to recall not to call you that."

I frowned a little bit. It had actually sounded a little sweet to my ears. "It just caught me off guard…if you really wish to, feel free, I suppose…" Off guard…what an understatement. "Well…have a good night!" I fiddled my fingers in a little wave, heading towards the door where Em, Rev, Kal, and Cailys were waiting.

I heard him chuckle behind me as I fled to the exit.


End file.
